Charles f



No. 62l,763. Patented Mar. 21,1899. -c. F. BATT.

CARTRIDGE BELT.

(Applicition and Oct. 20, 1898 (u Model.)

rlG' l.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR CHH$.F BF\TT HISATTORNEYS rricn.

PATENT CHARLES F. BAT'I, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

CARTRIDGE-BELT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 621,763, dated March 21, 1899.

Serial No. 694.127. (No model.)

To an whom it hoary concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES F. BATT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in New York, (Brooklyn,) county of Kings, State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Cartridge-Belts, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a cartridge-belt with self-adjusting pockets for the cartridges or nests of cartridges, so that the latter will be held with the proper degree of friction under all conditions or with different sizes of cartridges, and this without interfering with the flexibility of the belt.

It is generally recognized that a cartridgebelt of woven material is more durable than a leather one; but the woven belt has the disadvantage that it is so much affected by wet and heat that under one condition the pockets will become too loose to safely hold the cartridges and under the other condition they will become too tight to permit the cartridges to be pulled out. To meet this difficulty'and also to adapt the belt to hold cartridges of different calibers within certain limits, I make the pockets of the belt self-ad j usting by combining with the pockets friction producing springs, preferably in the form of independent spring-clips, for the several pockets or pairs of pockets.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a face View of sufficient of a cartridge-belt to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan view. Fig. 3 is a View, on a larger scale, of a form of spring which may be used. Fig. at is a plan View of a portion of a belt provided with pockets in pairs. Fig. 5 is a plan View of a portion of a belt provided with pockets of a size to receive nests of cartridges for magazine-guns. Fig. 6 is a View of a modified form of spring which may be used. I

While my present invention is particularly designed for use on belts of woven material, it may be applied to belts of leather or other flexible material.

A is the body part of the belt, and B, Figs. 1 and 2, are the pockets, which in the case of a Woven belt are also made of Woven material, preferably woven into or with the body part. These pockets are made somewhat larger than usual, preferably more than large enough to hold the largest-caliber cartridge for which the belt may possibly be intended to be used. In conjunction with each pocket or pair of pockets I provide a friction-producing spring, which preferably consists of a metal spring-clip E, an example of which is illustrated in Fig. 3. This is in the form of a bent spring-wire to be combined with each pocket or each pair of pockets. As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the free spring-legs c e of this clip E may be fitted into one of the pockets, and then the fold ofthe adjacent pocket is to be drawn under it or through the loop e, formed by the other half of the clip E. The cartridge is introduced into that part of the fold of the pocket which has been passed through the loop 6 of. the spring-clip E, and as the cartridge is pushed into place the spring yields, so that no matter whatthe size of the cartridge may be, within certain limits, and no matter what the condition of wetness or dryness of the belt may be the cartridge will be heldwith just sufficient friction to prevent its'dropping out in handling the belt or if the wearer should trip or fall, and, on the other hand, to permit the cartridge to be withdrawn without too much exertion.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown the different sizes of cartridges on the same belt. I do this not because different sizes of cartridges are likely to be used at the same time, but only to show how a change in the caliber of ammunition supplied to an army would not require a change in the cartridge-belts made there will be two rows of cartridges, one row outside the other. In such a construction the friction-producing spring may still be in the form of a clip similar to that shown in Fig. 3, the ends 6 6 being fitted into a pocket 19, formed in the material of the belt, while the opposite part of the spring-clip fits into a recess between the inner and outer pocket of each pair.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a form of pocket B of a size adapted to receive nests of cartridges for magazineguns. In this case the frictionproducing spring E can be applied in a mannor somewhat similar to the application illus trated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, except that small pockets 1) would need to be provided within the larger pockets to receive one part of the spring-clip E, the other part lying outside one edge of the pocket and making a fold in it, with the effect of reducing the size of the outer pocket, but permitting it to expand as the nests of cartridges are introduced. To aid in the frictional action upon the nest of cartridges, the springs E may be formed so as to cause the side of the pocket to press against the sides of the cartridges. This may beaccomplished by bending the spring, such as that shown in Fig. 3, so that the ends 6 will project laterally, as illustrated in the edge View, Fig. 6. I do not, however, wish to restrict myself to any particular style or shape of spring or any special way of applying it.

I am aware that cartridge-belts have been heretofore made with adjustable pockets; but this has been done by making the pocket parts of a continuous strip which could be tightened up from one or both ends. With such a construction it will be obvious that when one cartridge is removed the other cartridges will no longer be held tightly, and it is im* practicable to tighten up the pocket-strip after each cartridge is removed. In my invention the several pockets are independently self-adjusting, a friction-producing spring being combined with each pocket or. pair of pockets.

I claim as my invention- 1. A cartridge-belt having pockets of flexible material provided with friction-producing springs, as and for the purpose described.

2. A cartridge-belt having pockets of flexible material provided with friction-producing spring-clips, as and for the purpose described.

3. A cartridge-belt having pockets in pairs, with friction-producing springs between the two pockets of each pair, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. BATT.

- Witnesses:

F. WARR N .WRIGHT, H UBERT HOWSON. 

